Weeding apparatus.



No. 730,095. PATENTBD JUNE 2, 190a.

B. P. GONKLE & J. T. HALL.

WEEDING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 21, 1902.

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' No. 730,095. 7 f PATENTED JUNE 2,1903

- B. F. GONKLE &'J. T. HALL.

IWEEDINGYAPPATRATUS. APP L IUATION FILED JUNE 21, 1902.

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UNrTEn STATES Patented June 2, PATENT O FFICE.

BERNARD F. CONKLE AN1) JAMES .r. HALL, or JUNCTION CITY, orno.

WEEDING APPARATUS.

izPEQlFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 730,095, dated June 2, 1903.

Application filed June 21, 1902.

' To aZZ whom it inaycncern.

Be it known that we, BERNARD F, CONKLE and JAMES T. HALL, citizens of the United States, residing atJunction City, in the county of- Perry and State of Ohio, have made certain new and useful Improvements in Weeding Apparatus, of which the following is a specification. A

Our invention is an improved weeding ap-i paratus for use on railroad-tracks; and the invention consists in certain novel constructions and combinations of parts, as will be hereinafter described and claimed. In the drawings, Figure 1 is a top plan view of our implement removed from thecar. Fig. 2 is a front, elevation of a weeder in place on a hand-car. Fig. 3 is a detail section on about line 3 3 of. Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a detail section on about line 44 of Fig. 1. Fig.5 is a detail perspective view of the front portion of the weeding apparatus. Fig. 6 is a detail sectional view on about line 6 6 of Fig. 2. Fig. 7 is a detail View illustrating the shoe or runnor on the inner section of the lateral weeding-frame. Fig. 8 is a detail sectional View .on about line 8 8 of Fig. 1; Fig. 9 is adetail perspective view of the rear portion of one of the side weeder-sections, and Fig. 10 is aperspe'ctive view of ,a portion of one of the rear scrapers.

In carrying out our invention we provide a main frame for application to the bedof an ordinaryhand-car. The main frame may include, as shown, front andrear cross-beams A and A and longitudinal beams B and B- and be suitably bolted at C or otherwise se-Y cured rigidly upon the bed of thehand-car C. The rearbeam A, extends, preferably, slightly beyond the side beams B and B, its extensions 0. being for the purpose of sup-- portingthe rear weeder-sections, which operate over the ties at the outer sides of the track or outside'the rails of the track, as will be understood fromFigs. 1 and 2. These rear weeder-sections are three in number, the middle section D being supported at d pivotally in connection with the rear ends of the beams B and B and the outer sections D being pivoted at d in connection with blocks a on the rear sides of the extensions 0. of the beam A. The rear weeder-sections comprise frames pivoted at their front ends in connection with $arial No. 112,639. (No model.)

3 the'main frame and having at their rear ends cross-bars upon which bear the weights E,

whose rods E connect at their front ends with the beam A, soothe weights proper can rest directly upon the cross-bars at the rear ends of the sections D and D to exert tension thereon, as will be understood from Figs. 1 and 3. The weeder-blades F are secured'adjustably at F to the curved spring-arms F whoseupper ends are secured at F to the rear crossbars of the pivoted frames, so the tension exerted by the weights E on said frames will be transmittedyieldingly to theweeder-blades F to permit the same to operate as may be desired. It will'be noticed the middle section D is wider than the outer sections D, and we employ two weeder-bladesF on the middle section, the rods of said blades beingconnected bya tie-barf, as shown in Fig. 1. It will be noticed the blades F. extend transversely to j the track and operate to remove the weeds between the rails and the outer ends of the ties. By our invention we also seek to provide means wherebyto remove the weeds from the portion of the track lying outside the ties'and,

usually sloping down to the ditch running alongside the track. To this end we provide devices supported by the mainframe and arranged laterallythereto and to the track and adjustable, as presently described, so they main frame is provided atits front and rear ends with depending bars G and 'G, which are provided on their outer sideswith the cleats 9, open at the top and receiving the loogitudinal side bar H, which fits in the said These lateral devices are preferably cleats at its ends and is preferably t-enoned at such ends to provide the shoulders h,which engage with. the depending bars G and G and hold the bar H from longitudinal move- .ment in the cleats g. We also provide the front bar Gon its rear side with a: late opening socket or box G in which is fitted the inner tenoned end I of the front barI of thelateral weeding-frame. This bar I is thus detachably connected at its inner end with the bar G,anda strut-rod I connects the outer end of the bar I with the bar H, near the rear end of the latter, and braces the bar I as desired. The bar I may be hooked, bolted, or otherwise detachably connected at its end i, as shown in Figs. 1 and 5, so it can be readily connected and disconnected whenever desired. The front frame of the lateral weeder includes this bar I, which may be termed the top bar, a lower bar J, which is pivoted horizontally at its inner end J in a box K on the under side of the intermediate bar K, and the bar K, which is pivoted at K at its inner end vertically in connection with the top bar I, near the inner end of the latter. This permits the outer end of the bar K to swing forwardly and the outer end of the bar J to adjust up and down. This vertical adjustment of the outer end of the bar J is guided by an upright loop L, fixed at its lower end to the bar J and sliding at its upper end over the outer end of the bar K, and the forward adjustment of the bar K is regulated by means of a loop or clevis M, secured at its rear end to the outer end of the bar I, fitted over the bar K and having a series of bolt-holes which may be entered by the bolt M in order to secure the bar K in any desired adjustment. The operation of this construction will be best understood on reference to Fig. 1 of the drawings. The vertical adjustment of the outer end of the bar J is to permit the lateral frame to adjust itself to different inclinations alongside the rails, while the adjustment of the bar K to the front and rear is to vary the angle of the weeder-blades of the lateral portion of the apparatus and also to permit the narrowing and widening of the lateral portion of the device as may be desired.

At the outer end of the bar J, which is the drag-bar of the lateral portion of the weeder, we arrange the supporting-wheel N, which may be adjusted on its connection with the outer end of the lower bar J so it will always run parallel with the rails on which the wheels of the hand-car operate. This wheel N runs along the ditch-line of the track and has acutter-blade N, which marks the.line of the ditch, as will be understood from Figs. 1 and 5 of the drawings. In connecting the wheel N adjustably with the outer end of the bar J we prefer to pivot the axle of said wheel N at N and to provide the axle near its inner end with a slot N in which operates the bolt N, as will be understood from Figs. 4 and 5 of the drawings.

The bar J supports the drag-bars O, which are pivoted at their front ends at O to the bar J, extend thence parallel to the rail, and are pivoted near their rear ends at O to the top bar I of the scraper-frame P, (see Fig. 9,) such scraper-frame having depending side I bars P to which the scrapers P are adjustably connected at P as shown in Fig. 9. The drag-bars O extend at O in rear of the scraperframe and have depending portions slotted at O for the adjustable connection therewith of the axle-bars O of the gage-wheels 0. (See Fig. 7.) By these means the gagewheels 0 may be set up or down to regulate the depth of cut of the blades P We provide two pairs of drag-bars 0, such bars being tied together by the rod Q and the inner bar being tied to the side bar H by a rod Q, as shown in Fig. 1. In connection with the bars 0 we provide in close proximity to the inner side of the lateral weeder-frame a drag-bar R, pivoted at its front end at R to the bar J, connected near its rear end with the bar II by aspringR and bifurcated at its rear end, providing the arms R, which support a scraper-frame and gage-rollers similar to those carried by the bars 0. It will be noticed that the bars 0 operate somewhat after the fashion of parallel-rulers, and by setting the outer end of the bar J farther to the front the scrapers P will be inclined rearwardly toward their inner ends in such manner as to scrape the weeds and gravel upwardly rather than down to the ditch and also to operate with a shearing action upon the weeds. The loop-guide L, it will be noticed, permits the lower bar J to rise and fall, whereby it may conform to the inclination alongside the track.

The front depending bar G has connected with it the wheel or roller T, which operates upon the inner side of the outer rail, as shown in Fig. 2, and is journaled to the inner end of a bar T, whose outer end is connected adjustably at T with the bar G, so the wheel or roller T can be adjusted to bear properly against the inner side of the rail in such manner as to prevent the weeding apparatus from pulling the hand-car off the track. It may be preferred to provide the inner section B of the lateral weeding-frame with a shoe or runner U near its rear end, which may bear against the outer ends of the ties and hold the section B against the tension of the spring R so the scraper of the said section will operate close to the outer end of the ties in the operation of the apparatus.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Let ters Patent, is

1. In a weeder for railroad-tracks, alateral weeding-frame comprising an upper bar, an intermediate bar below the upper bar, and pivoted at its inner end to the upper bar, whereby it may swing forwardly from the upper bar, and a lower bar pivoted at its inner end in connection with the intermediate bar, whereby it may rise and fall at its outer end combined with the weeder devices and the means for guiding the up-and-down movement of the outer end of the lower bar, means for securing the intermediate bar in diiferent adjustment, and the weeding devices proper IIO having drag connections with thelower bar, substantially as set forth.

2. In a weeder for railroad-tracks, the combination of a main frame, the rear weedingsections connected with the main frame, the lateral weeding-frame arranged at one side of the main frame and comprising the upper bar, the lower vertically-adjustable bar and the intermediate bar swinging forward and back with respect to the upper bar, and the upper bar and the drag-bars pivoted at their front ends'to the lower bar, and the scrapers and their frames, the latter being pivoted to the drag-bars near the rear ends of the latter, whereby the latter operate after the fashion of parallel-rulers, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination in a weeder for railroad-tracks, of the main frame adapted to be supported on a hand-car, a brace-wheel connected with the main frame and arranged to run on the inner side of the outer rail of the track, and the lateral Weeding-frame connected with themain frame at one side of the latter, substantially as set forth.

4. In a weeder for railroad-tracks, the combination of a main frame adapted to be secured upon a hand-car, and weeder-frames at the rear endof said main frame and comprising frames pivoted at their front ends in connection with the main frame having crossbars at their rear ends, weeder-blades provided with curved supporting-rods connected with said cross-bars, and the weights carried by the mainframe and-operating upon the cross-bars of the pivoted yielding frame, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

5. In a weeding apparatus for railroadtracks, a main frame adapted to be support ed upon a hand-car, and provided at its rear end with pivoted weeding-frames arranged to operate upon the track, substantially as set forth.

6. The combination in a weeding apparatus for railroad-tracks, of a main frame adapted to be supported and secured upon a handcar, and weeding -frames jointed at their front ends to the main frame, and provided at their opposite ends with blades to operate upon the track, substantially as set forth.

7. The combination in a weeder, substantially as described, of the main frame, the weeder devices connected with the rear end of the main frame and comprising frames pivoted at their front ends to the main frame and provided at their rear swinging ends with spring-rods and weeder-blades carried thereby, and tension devices operating upon the rear swinging ends-of the said frames, substantially asset forth. v

8. In a weeding apparatus for railroadtracks, a main frame adapted to be supported upon the hand-car and provided at itsrear end with transversely-extending weedingblades yieldingly connected with the main frame, substantially as setforth.

9. The combination in a weeder for railroad-' tracks, of the-main frame: adapted to be sup-- ported on a hand-car and provided at one side with the upwardly-opening cleats, and adj acent thereto with the laterally-opening socket,

the lateral weeding-frame having a top bar fitting at its inner end in said socket, an intermediate bar pivoted vertically near itsin-v ner end to said top bar, and a lower bar piv-.

oted horizontally at its inner end in connection with the intermediate bar, and having the drag-bars and the weeding device connected therewith, the longitudinal side bar supported in the cleats onthe main frame, 1

and connections between the drag weedingframes and the said side bar, substantially I as setforth.

10. The combination in a weeder for railroad-tracks, of the main frame, the lateral weeding-frame having a front frame connected with the main frame, and weeding devicesproper connected by drag-bars with said front frame and provided at the outerend of the frame with a guide-Wheel, and with means 7 for adj ustably supporting the same, substan 'tially as set forth.

11. The combination in a weeder substantially as described, of the pair of drag-bars, the scraper and the scraper-frame to which said drag-bars are separately pivoted, sub-.

stantially asset forth.

12. In a weeding apparatus for railroad-- tracks, the combination of the mainframe,

the lateral weeding-frame jointed at its inner end whereby its outer end may be adjusted forward andback, and the dragbars provided at their rear ends withthe scrapers, andpiw oted at their front ends in connection with the front frame and operating after the fashion of parallel-rulers, substantially as set forth.

13. The combination of the main frame, the i lateral Weeding-frame comprisingthe top-bar, v

the intermediate bar pivoted vertically below the top bar, the keeper loop or box connected with the top bar and within which the inter mediate bar may be adjusted, the lower bar pivoted horizontally at its inner end in connection with the intermediate bar whereby it may rise and fall at itsouter end, means for guiding the vertical movement of theouter end of the lowerbar, and the weeders proper connected with the lower ban-substantially as set forth.

14. The combination in a weeder for rail-l road-tracks, of the main frame, the lateral weeding-frame havinga front portionwhich may be adjusted forward-at its outer end the drag-bars carryingthe Weeders proper and connectedwith said front portion, and the gage-wheel carried at the outer endof the said portion and adjustable in connection therewith, substantially as setforth. I

JAMES T.' I IALL. Witnesses:

JHAUNOEY' A.; OVERMYE GEORGE W.-RAR K I 

